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(No Model.) I

H. J. BIOKLE.

'HARNEss SNAP.

No. 508,910. Patented Nov. 21, 1893.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII nocrupume COMPANY- [UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

' HENRY JAMES BICKLE, OF GLADSTONE, ASSIGNOR. OF ONE-HALF TO ELISHA FREDERICK HUTOHINGS, OF WINNIPEG, CANADA.

HARNESS-SNAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 508,910, dated November 21,1893.

I Application filed June 15,1893. Serial No. 477,743- (No model.) I

To all whom it may conoerm Be it known that I, HENRY JAMES BIOKLE, of the village of Gladstone,in the county of Westbourne and Province of Manitoba, Can: ada, have invented a certain new and Improved Harness-Snap, of which the following is a specification.

The object. of the invention is to provide a simple, cheap and effective snap for harness and other purposes, and it consists, of a linkshaped shank with an opening for the passage of a connectinglink and having a groove on its interior surface to receive a similarly shaped spring adapted to move longitudinally within the groove in the shank and act as a latch across the opening, substantially as hereinfter more particularly explained.

Figures 1 and 2, are views of my improved snap in which the openings are made substantially in the centers of the shanks. Figs. 3, and 4, are views of myimproved snap with the openings at the end of the snap near the strap buckle.

In the drawings I show only two styles of harness snaps made in accordance with my invention, but it will be understood that various other styles might easily be adopted to look differently and yet be within the scope of the invention.

A, is a link-shaped shank connected to or forming part of the strap buckle B. 'In Figs. 1 and 2, the openingO, is made substantially in the center of the shank, while in Figs. 3

and 4, it is made at the end near the buckle. A groove a, is madein the interior surface of theshank A,into which groove thespring or sliding latch D, is fitted and is longitudinally adjustable therein sothat the opening 0, may

7 be opened as shown in Fig. 1, or closed as Fig. 3, the formation of-the shank A, when made as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, being such that its end acts as a butt instead of the heel E.

Among the advantages of my improved latch I may mention that as the'lat'ch has only sufficient spring to hold it wherever it is set in the groove and is never subjected to great strain in the act of coupling, the snap is practically indestructible. It is also very easily operated and when adjusted, is perfectly safe.

The mode of attaching and detaching is so extremely simple that the snap may be operated by any one even when wearing heavy mitts. As the latch moves freely longitudinally inthe groove, it will cut out any ice that may accumulate therein and which would retard the movement of the latch.

What I claim as my invention is-' 1. A link-shaped shank provided with an opening for the passage. of a connecting link and having its interior surface grooved, in combination with a link-shaped latch also having an opening therein, adapted to coincide with the opening in the shank when open, said latch being of one piece of spring metal and arranged to slide in said groove and close the opening in the shank and to be held in any desired position in said groove by its own resiliency, substantially as described.

2. A link-shaped shank provided with an opening for the passage of a connecting link, and having a groove in its interior surface, a spring latch working in said groove and arranged to close the opening in the shank, and a heel projecting from saidshank against which the latch abuts, substantially as described.

Gladstone,

county of Westbourne, May 26, 1893.

HENRY JAMES BIOKLE. 

